meat from butcher shop vs grocery store?

[partyfowl]

Btw, whats wrong with Smithfield? I googled it and came up with nothing =/

I think it is a judge for yourself type situation. Smithfields owns/co-owns 8 farms in Veracruz Mexico, AKA.... Swineflu groundzero. I added a link, but you can google it, Smithfield vercruz pictures and you should get some details. The reason large American companies run factory farms in Mexico is because there are not the sanitation or evironmental laws, like America and they can get away with in under the "free trade ACT"

Click on the link and Click on FOLLOW THE LINK!!!

http://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/...cility-in-veracruz-that-caused-the-swine-flu/

JUST A WARNING THESE PICS ARE GRAPHIC, AND MAKE YOU WANT TO NEVER BUY ANY PRODUCT OF SMITHFIELDS AGAIN!!

 

[redux]

The pictures are powerful; but the article is, unfortunately, very badly translated. I had trouble following it other than I get the idea that the Mexicans are sick of Americans polluting their country; and they don't think creating 600 jobs is worth poisoning 30,000 citizens.

That was what I got out of it.

I will continue to buy Heritage meats, raised on pasture, or no meat at all.

 

[Bettacreek]

The butcher shops in my home town were all locally raised meats. We lived in an agricultural area, and it was simply cheaper to slaughter local meats over importing them. I think the quality is higher from a butcher shop, no matter HOW the animals were raised. The butcher shop is going to be less tainted with strange chemicals (remember that meat slop that they were using for ground beef?) and everything is much fresher. Check the ground beef at the grocery store vs the ground beef at the butcher shop. The store will have a dark pink to a brown color. The butcher shop is bloody red. That's because of how fresh everything is. If the grocery store weren't so damn cheap, I'd be buying all local foods. Budgets, unfortunately, don't allow for it.

 

[old fashioned]

If the grocery store weren't so damn cheap, I'd be buying all local foods. Budgets, unfortunately, don't allow for it.

We're in the same boat. :/

 

[redux]

If the grocery store weren't so damn cheap, I'd be buying all local foods. Budgets, unfortunately, don't allow for it.

We're in the same boat. :/

Sometimes you can get lucky - I got local grape tomatoes at the farmer's market for $2.95, and they were $4.99 at the supermarket. It's just one of those things that you have to have the time for and you have to hit it lucky.

 

[Bettacreek]

I was looking into raising two turkeys for home processing. I had then decided that I could save more money by purchasing frozen whole turkeys. I went and checked them out today to get a price check, $15 for a whole turkey, with "injected with added juices to...(yada yada). I now have two turkey poults on hold when they come into the local feed store. I have five ducks as well, though I may take myself off the list if I can find a good batch of ducklings at the salebarn first. The thing that I hate the MOST about grocery store foods is honestly the ground beef. It's just disgusting to think of how "un-fresh" it is. I'm hoping to get the animals around and producing enough to cover the costs for breeding, a few for family butcher and a few to trade/sell for good meats that I cannot raise (ground beef!)

 

[hwillm1977]

I was looking into raising two turkeys for home processing. I had then decided that I could save more money by purchasing frozen whole turkeys. I went and checked them out today to get a price check, $15 for a whole turkey, with "injected with added juices to...(yada yada).

We're getting two turkeys here too... one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. They arrive June 15. Fresh turkey at the grocery store here is $2.97/pound so we usually spend about $60 each holiday on turkey... it works out great both financially and taste wise to grow our own. Poults are $6.00 each, they're five weeks old when they arrive, and feed is $13.00 for 50 pounds.

 

[redux]

I was looking into raising two turkeys for home processing. I had then decided that I could save more money by purchasing frozen whole turkeys. I went and checked them out today to get a price check, $15 for a whole turkey, with "injected with added juices to...(yada yada). I now have two turkey poults on hold when they come into the local feed store. I have five ducks as well, though I may take myself off the list if I can find a good batch of ducklings at the salebarn first. The thing that I hate the MOST about grocery store foods is honestly the ground beef. It's just disgusting to think of how "un-fresh" it is. I'm hoping to get the animals around and producing enough to cover the costs for breeding, a few for family butcher and a few to trade/sell for good meats that I cannot raise (ground beef!)

Where is Renovo? I am getting ground beef from a farmer in Maryland. This pastured Heritage beef, and it does not look/smell/taste like anything I have ever gotten from the supermarket. I was never in my life a fan of burgers until I tried this beef. And, it is only $4.50 a pound. It cooks with almost zero shrinkage.

I have to drive from York to Hanover to pick up this meat but I buy a bunch for the freezer and make the trip monthly.

 

[Bettacreek]

It's 174 miles from Renovo. :/ My old town has several butcher shops with excellent meats at decent prices, but the grocery store is still cheaper, by far. Our turkeys are $.94 per pound (at least right now, I've never priced a turkey). I'm not a fan of turkey at TG or x-mas, but I do love ground turkey. We have access to a good meat grinder. I only chose two turkeys because of cost, space and time. They're coming in on the 15th, and they say that they should be around $4 each. But, these guys are day olds, and it's a hatchery assortment.

 

[redux]

Yeah, I guess you are a tad far. I have to drive 20 miles and it is a pain for me.

We do all have to live within our budgets, and it makes me sad to think that often that means we can't buy the foods that are best for us. I am grateful to have a nearby source of inexpensive, pastured meat.